Grooved retaining wall block and system

ABSTRACT

Connectors for use in a retaining wall and a retaining wall having grooved blocks configured to receive the connector. Connectors can be used in various orientations within the grooves of the blocks. In a retaining wall, a flexible geosynthetic material fits into a channel of a channel connector, and is held in place by an elongate bar. The connector prevents abrasion of geosynthetic material. The connector can also be a plurality of spaced-apart projections for use with an apertured, relatively rigid geogrid. The connectors hold geogrid firmly in place, providing for increased connection capacity.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No.09/904,037, filed Jul. 12, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,994, herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a retaining wall block system for usewith soil reinforcement materials, such as a geogrid. In particular,this invention relates to a retaining wall block and connectors usedwith geosynthetic materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous methods and materials exist for the construction of retainingwalls. Such methods include the use of natural stone, poured in-placeconcrete, pre-cast concrete, masonry, and landscape timbers or railroadties. In recent years, segmental concrete retaining wall units which aredry stacked (i.e., built without the use of mortar) have become a widelyaccepted product for the construction of retaining walls.

Many retaining wall systems described in the art include the use ofreinforcing materials, also referred to as geogrids, geosyntheticreinforcement, or geogrid tie-backs.

Reinforcement materials may be inextensible, such as steel mesh, orextensible geosynthetic materials, such as mats and oriented polymericmaterials. For example, flat polymeric sheets are used to form geogridsby forming holes in the sheets and then drawing them to orient thepolymer and increase the modulus. Such polymeric materials include highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) and these materials form relatively rigidgeogrids commercially available under the trade designation “TENSAR”.

While the HDPE materials are relatively rigid, a second type ofgeosynthetic material is a generally more flexible. These may compriserectilinear polymer constructions characterized by large (e.g., 1 inch(25 cm) or greater) openings. In these open structure geogrids,polymeric strands are woven or “welded” (by means of adhesives and/orheat) together in a grid. Polymers used for making relatively flexiblegeogrids include polyester fibers. The polyester typically is coatedwith a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or a latex topcoat. The coating maycontain carbon black for ultraviolet (UV) stabilization. Some openstructure geogrids comprise polyester yarn for the warp fibers andpolypropylene as the fill fibers. Another flexible reinforcinggeosynthetic material is fabric, i.e., woven constructions without largeopenings. These fabrics typically comprise polymers and are referred toas geofabrics. The geofabric can be laid between courses of blocks in awall, and typically is tied into the wall and held there. When blocksare configured to have pin connectors, for example, a hole or slit isformed in the geofabric at the construction site and the geofabric isheld on the blocks by fitting it over the pins.

A geogrid with an open structure, either the relatively rigid HDPEgeogrids or the relatively flexible open structured geosyntheticmaterials also can be hooked onto a block or blocks by means of pins.Alternatively, rake-shaped connector bars can be used with a block withthe prongs of the connector extending through the openings in thegeogrid. However the geogrid connects to the block, the geogrid extendsbehind the retaining wall and ties into the earth behind the wall, thusincreasing the structural strength of the wall.

For example, after placement of a course of blocks to the desiredheight, geosynthetic material is placed onto a course of blocks and heldin place by means of pins in the block (which may have a primaryfunction of holding blocks together) or by means of special connectors.The geosynthetic material is put under tension by pulling back andstaking the geosynthetic material behind the retaining wall. Backfill isplaced and compacted over the geosynthetic material. Construction of thewall continues and may include another layer of geosynthetic material.

There are some disadvantages in the use of both the rigid HDPE and theflexible polymer geosynthetic materials, including PVC-coated polyestergeogrids and polyester woven fabrics. For HDPE geogrids and the flexiblepolyester geogrids or geofabrics, there typically is low connectioncapacity between the geogrid and the wall, as present systems relymainly on friction to hold the geogrid in place. Friction between ablock and a flexible geogrid or geofabric can result in abrasion anddamage.

A need in this art is a retaining wall block system that will providefor stronger connection of the geosynthetic material to the block wall.Such a system would provide for greater ease of handling duringinstallation of the geosynthetic material. A better connection methodwould also permit the use of relatively low cost, low strength polymergeogrids and geofabrics without damage to the geogrid duringinstallation or use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A retaining wall block system comprising a grooved block and a connectorfor use with a geogrid. In one embodiment, the connector is a channelconnector configured to be used with flexible geosynthetic material,such as fabric or open structure polymer grids. The advantage to thisconnector is that it prevents damage to the fabric by abrasion from theblocks in the wall. In another embodiment, the connector comprises aplurality of spaced-apart projections adapted to be used with anapertured, relatively rigid geogrid. The connector holds the geogridfirmly in place, providing for increased connection capacity.

In one aspect, this invention is a connector for engaging a geosyntheticmaterial used for stabilizing a wall formed from a plurality of wallblocks having a top surface defining a groove, the connector comprisingan elongate channel portion having first and second sides defining achannel therebetween; and an elongate bar configured to engage a sectionof the geosynthetic material within the channel, the channel portion andbar being sized to be accommodated within the groove of at least oneblock.

The connector may comprise polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene copolymer.One of the first and second sides of the elongate channel portion mayface the top surface of the block, or the channel may open onto the topsurface of the block.

In a second aspect, this invention is a retaining wall comprising aplurality of blocks including at least one lower course and at least oneupper course, at least one block having a top surface defining a groove,the groove being substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane ofsymmetry; a geosynthetic material; and a connector including a channelportion having first and second sides defining a channel therebetweenand an elongate bar configured to engage a section of the geogrid withinthe channel, the connector being sized to be accommodated within thegroove of the at least one block when the geogrid is engaged in thechannel. The geosynthetic material may comprise fabric. The connectormay be sized to be accommodated within the grooves of at least twoadjacent blocks in one course of the plurality of blocks.

In a third aspect, this invention is a retaining wall comprising aplurality of blocks including at least one lower course and at least oneupper course, each block of the plurality of blocks having opposingfront and rear faces, at least a portion of the front face beingsubstantially parallel to the rear face, the at least one block having atop surface defining a groove, the groove being substantially parallelto the rear face; a geosynthetic material; and a connector including achannel portion having first and second sides defining a channeltherebetween and an elongate bar configured to engage a section of thegeogrid within the channel, the connector being sized to be accommodatedwithin the groove of the at least one block when the geogrid is engagedin the channel.

In a fourth aspect, this invention is a connector for engaging anapertured geogrid used for stabilizing a retaining wall formed from aplurality of wall blocks having a top surface defining a groove, theconnector comprising: a base portion; a plurality of spaced-apartprojections extending from the base portion, each projection including atop portion and a spacing portion intermediate the base portion and thetop portion, each spacing portion having a first width, each top portionhaving a second width, the second width being greater than the firstwidth, the projections being spaced and sized to be accommodated withinapertures of the geogrid, the base portion and projections being sizedto be accommodated within the groove of at least one block. Theplurality of spaced-apart projections may be four spaced-apartprojections. The apertured geogrid may comprise high densitypolyethylene.

In a fifth aspect, this invention is a retaining wall comprising aplurality of blocks including at least one lower course and at least oneupper course, at least one block having a top surface defining a groove,the groove being substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane ofsymmetry; an apertured geogrid; and a connector including a base portionand a plurality of spaced-apart projections extending from the baseportion, each projection including a top portion and a spacing portionintermediate the base portion and the top portion, each spacing portionhaving a first width, each top portion having a second width, the secondwidth being greater than the first width, the projections being spacedand sized to be accommodated within apertures of the geogrid, the baseportion and projections being sized to be accommodated within the grooveof at least one block when the connector is engaged in the aperturedgeogrid.

In a sixth aspect, this invention is a retaining wall comprising aplurality of blocks including at least one lower course and at least oneupper course, each block of the plurality of blocks having opposingfront and rear faces, at least a portion of the front face beingsubstantially parallel to the rear face, the at least one block having atop surface defining a groove, the groove being substantially parallelto the rear face; an apertured geogrid; and a connector including a baseportion and a plurality of spaced-apart projections extending from thebase portion, each projection including a top portion and a spacingportion intermediate the base portion and the top portion, each spacingportion having a first width, each top portion having a second width,the second width being greater than the first width, the projectionsbeing spaced and sized to be accommodated within apertures of thegeogrid, the base portion and projections being sized to be accommodatedwithin the groove of at least one block when the connector is engaged inthe apertured geogrid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the retainingwall block of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the retaining wall block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the retaining wall block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the retainingwall block of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of another alternate embodiment of the retainingwall block of this invention.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the channel connector of thisinvention; FIG. 8B is a cross sectional view of the connector; FIGS. 8Cto 8E are sectional views showing placement of the connector bar intothe connector channel with geosynthetic material in place.

FIG. 9A is a top view of the connector of FIG. 8A in place in the blockshown in FIGS. 1 to 5; FIG. 9B is a side view of the block with theconnector, and FIG. 9C is a detail view of FIG. 9B, with geosyntheticmaterial in place.

FIG. 10A is a top view of the connector in place in an alternateembodiment of the block; FIG. 10B is a side view of the block with theconnector, and FIG. 10C is a detail view of FIG. 10B, with geogrid inplace.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a partial retaining wall withconnectors and geosynthetic material in place.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of an alternate connector of thisinvention and FIG. 12B is a top view of the connector with aperturedgeogrid in position.

FIG. 13A is a top view of the connector of FIG. 12A in the block shownin FIGS. 1 to 5; FIG. 13B is a side view of the block; and FIG. 13C is adetailed view showing apertured geogrid held in the connector.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a partial retaining wall withconnectors and geogrid in place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In this application, “upper” and “lower” refer to the placement of theblock in a retaining wall. The lower surface faces down, that is, it isplaced such that it faces the ground. In forming a retaining wall, onerow of blocks is laid down, forming a course. A second course is laid ontop of this by positioning the lower surface of one block on the uppersurface of another block.

The Figures describe various block embodiments. Many elements in variousblock embodiments are identical in shape, size, relative placement, andfunction, and therefore the numbers for these elements do not change.Elements that vary from one block embodiment to another are denoted bysuffices “a”, “b”, “c”, and may be referred to in a general way by anumber without its suffix.

The blocks of this invention preferably are symmetrical about a verticalplane of symmetry. In preferred embodiments, at least a portion of thefront face is substantially parallel to the rear face of the block. Theblocks of this invention are provided with pin holes, pin receivingcavities, and at least one core which serve to decrease the weight ofthe block while maintaining its strength. The various cavities alsoprovide ease of construction of a retaining wall. The location, shape,and size of the pin holes and pin receiving cavities are selected tomaximize the strength of the block. The top face of the block isprovided with a groove configured to receive a connector for use with ageogrid. The groove is substantially parallel to the rear face of theblock.

Block 1 a is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. Block 1 a is made of a rugged,weather resistant material, preferably (and typically) zero-slump moldedconcrete. Other suitable materials include plastic, reinforced fibers,wood, metal and stone. Block 1 a has parallel top face 2 a and bottomface 3 a, front face 4 a, rear face 5 and first and second side wallfaces 6 a and 7 a. Front face 4 a and rear face 5 each extend from topface 2 a to bottom face 3 a and side wall faces 6 a, 7 a and extend fromtop face 2 a to bottom face 3 a and from front face 4 a to rear face 5.Block 1 a has vertical plane of symmetry S, as indicated in FIG. 2. Topface 2 a has groove 30, which is configured to receive a connector foruse with a reinforcing geogrid, as described further below. Groove 30has a length that is defined as the distance from side wall 6 a tosidewall 7 a.

Front face 4 a of block 1 a is formed of angled outer surfaces 26 and 27and central surface 28 disposed perpendicular to plane of symmetry S soas to provide for a multi-faceted front face on a wall constructed ofthe blocks. Central surface 28 of front face 4 a is substantiallyparallel to rear face 5.

Block 1 a comprises body portion 8 a, head portion 9 and neck portion 10connecting body portion 8 a and head portion 9. Front face 4 a formspart of body portion 8 a, while rear face 5 forms part of head portion9. The body, head and neck portions 8 a, 9, and 10 each extend betweentop and bottom faces 2 a and 3 a and between first and second sidewallfaces 6 and 7. Side wall faces 6 and 7 are thus of a compound shape anddefine side voids 11 and 12 between body and head portions 8 a and 9either side of neck portion 10 as a result of the reduced width of neckportion 10 compared to that of body and head portions 8 a and 9.

Angled outer surfaces 26 and 27 of front face 4 a join side portions 35a and 36 a, respectively, of sidewalls 6 and 7 thus forming corners 20 aand 21 a. Side portions 35 a and 36 a are also angled (i.e., convergingtoward the rear face) extending from the front face inwardly toward therear face. Side portions 35 a and 36 a adjoin shoulders 39 and 40 ofbody portion 8 a.

Notches 33 and 34 are provided along rear face 5 to allow the user toremove ears 31 and 32 by conventional splitting techniques. Removal of aportion of the rear face may be desirable in the formation of curvedwalls. Preferably, side wall portions 43 and 45 of side walls 6 and 7are substantially perpendicular to rear face 5, although the side wallportions may angle toward the rear face.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate side and front views, respectively, of block 1a. The core and pin receiving cavities are shown in outline. FIGS. 4 and5 show that opening or core 13 extends through neck portion 10 from topface 2 a to bottom face 3 a. Core 13 divides neck portion 10 into firstand second neck wall members 14 and 15 which extend to the rear of theblock (i.e., from body portion 8 a to head portion 9). Core 13 and sidevoids 11 and 12 also reduce the weight of block 1 a. A lower weightblock is both a manufacturing advantage and an advantage whenconstructing a wall from the blocks.

First and second pin receiving cavities 18 and 19 are disposed in bodyportion 8 a and extend between top and bottom faces 2 a and 3 a, i.e.,opening onto both top and bottom surfaces. Cavities 18 and 19 arereferred to as “kidney shaped”, that is, the cavities are curvilinear,having no sharp angles. The shape and size and location of the cavitiesare selected to maximize the strength of the block while at the sametime, since they extend between the top and bottom surfaces, the blockweight is minimized. The cavities may be tapered, for ease ofmanufacturing. That is, the area of the kidney shape in the top of theblock preferably is slightly larger than the area of the kidney shape inthe bottom of the block.

Pin receiving cavities 18 and 19 preferably extend all the way throughthe blocks. This is an advantage because the blocks are formed,unmolded, and used with the top surface facing up. Therefore, they donot need to be flipped over by an installer when a retaining wall isbuilt. Further, installation is simplified since the installer can seethe pin in a block in a lower course through the pin receiving cavity ofa block in an upper course, thus making alignment easier.

Also disposed in body portion 8 a are first and second pin holes 16 and17 adjacent cavities 18 and 19, respectively, positioned away from thecavities toward side portions 35 a and 36 a. The first and second pinholes are also slightly to the rear of the pin receiving cavities. Thelocation of the pin holes relative to the cavities is discussed furtherbelow.

Pin holes typically extend through to bottom face 3 a and are sized toreceive pin 50. In forming a wall from the blocks, a pin in a pin holeis installed and projects from the top face of an underlying block by,for example, approximately 20 mm to engage the pin receiving cavity ofan overlying block. In this manner, the pin in a block on a lower courseof blocks in a wall engages a pin receiving cavity of a block in anupper course. This results in an interlocking of the blocks with apredetermined setback in the same general manner as that described U.S.Pat. No. Re. 34,134 (Forsberg).

Though the blocks illustrated in the Figures may have variousdimensions, block 1 a, illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, typically has athickness (i.e., the distance between surfaces 2 a and 3 a) of about 8inches (20.3 cm) and a width (i.e., the distance from corner 20 a tocorner 21 a) of about 18 inches (45.7 cm).

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a retaining wall block.Block 1 b has substantially the same shape and features as block 1 a,but the pin receiving cavities open onto the bottom of the block and donot go all the way through the thickness of the block. Pin holes 16 band 17 b are provided. Groove 30 b is provided and is configured to beused with a geogrid connector, as described further below.

FIG. 7 illustrates the top view of another embodiment of the retainingwall block. Block 1 c of FIG. 7 is substantially similar to the block ofFIGS. 1 to 5, except that front face 4 c of block 1 c is straight, andhas no angled portion. Front face 4 c of block 1 c adjoins side wallsurfaces 35 c and 36 c at corners 20 c and 21 c.

Channel connector 100, comprising channel connector 102 and elongate bar106 is shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E. FIG. 8B shows a cross section of theconnector with the bar in place. The connector illustrated in thesefigures is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and about ⅝ inch (1.6 cm) highthough any desired dimensions can be used for this connector. The lengthof the connector also may be any desired length. Connector 100 typicallycomprises rigid polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride orpolyethylene copolymer. It also may comprise fiberglass. Connector 100may be formed by extruding a suitable material into the desired shape.Connector 100 includes elongate channel connector 102 having first andsecond sides that define channel 104. This channel is configured toreceive a reinforcing geogrid. Typically an end of the geogrid is laidinto the channel and elongate connector bar 106 is placed into thechannel. The geogrid thus is held in place by elongate connector bar106.

Connector 100 may have the same length as the length of groove 30 inblock 1 a. This is a convenient length to use during installation of thegeogrid in a retaining wall. However, it may be desirable to use aconnector less than the length of groove 30 in block 1 a, or a connectorhaving a length that spans two or more blocks, i.e., twice or more thelength of groove 30 in block 1 a.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the use of connector 100 with flexiblegeosynthetic material and show that the connector can be used in morethan one configuration. In FIG. 9A, the connector is positioned so thatthe connector's channel faces the front of the block. This is shown inside view in FIG. 9B. FIG. 9C shows a detailed side view of geosyntheticmaterial 90 in place in the connector in the block. Another block in aretaining wall lies over this block. Geofabric 90 wraps around connectorbar 106 which holds the geofabric securely in connector channel 104.

FIG. 10A shows block 1 d. Block 1 d is the same shape and has the samefeatures as block 1 a, but groove 30 d is narrower than groove 30 inblock 1 a. Connector 100 fits into groove 30 d such that the connectorfaces upward, i.e., the channel opens to the top of the block, as shownin the side view in FIG. 10B. FIG. 10C is a detail side view withgeosynthetic material 90 in place within the connector. It is useful tocompare FIG. 9A with FIG. 10A. In both situations, the geosyntheticmaterial or geofabric is laid into the channel of the channel connectorand then bar 106 is moved into position in the channel, thus providing apositive mechanical connection for the geofabric to the blocks in theretaining wall.

FIGS. 8C to 8E show a detail view of groove 30 d in block 1 d. Thesefigures illustrate the placement of connector bar 106 into connectorchannel 104 with geosynthetic material 90 in place. The connector barmoves in the direction of the arrow to secure the material within thechannel.

When the geosynthetic material is installed, it extends rearwardly intothe fill behind a wall, thus anchoring the wall against forces tendingto topple the wall forward, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Partiallyconstructed wall 80 is shown. The three blocks of the lower course areinterconnected by means of pins 50 in pin holes 16 and 17 that engagepin receiving cavities 18 and 19 in the two blocks of the upper course.Geosynthetic material 90 extends behind the wall. It is laid into placebetween the lower and upper course. The channel connector is placed intogroove 30 and one end of the material is laid into channel 104 ofchannel connector 100 and elongate bar 106 is moved into place to holdthe material firmly. Typically, tension is applied to the geosyntheticmaterial. The channel connector of this invention prevents astructurally weak material, such as polyester web or fabric, frompulling away from connector. The advantage to the channel connector isthat it holds the material firmly across the full length of one or moreblocks, and the material does not slip out of or tear away from thechannel connector.

FIG. 12A shows a perspective view of an alternate connector and FIG. 12Bshows two of connectors 200 in groove 30 a of block 1 a. The connectorsengage geogrid 92 and hold it in place in the block. This connector isconfigured to be used with relatively rigid apertured geogrid, such asthe HDPE geogrid described above. Connector 200 comprises a plurality ofspaced-apart projections extending from a base portion. Connector 200can also be viewed as being made of multiple identical segments. Topportion 204 and intermediate spacing portion 206 extend from baseportion 202. Connector 200 shown in FIG. 12A comprises four top portionsand intermediate spacing portions, though clearly any desired number ofthese could be used. It is found that the size of connector shown inFIG. 12A is convenient for use when installing the geogrid. Connector200 is configured to sit in groove 30. FIG. 13A shows a plurality ofconnectors 200 in the block and FIG. 13B shows the side view of aconnector in groove 30 of the block as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 13Cshows a detailed side view of geogrid 92 held in the connector. Incontrast to connectors previously used in the industry, this connectoris configured to engage the geogrid so that the connector does not fallout of the geogrid during installation. That is, top portions 204 aresufficiently wider than the intermediate spacing portions 206 to besupported by the geogrid. In this way, during construction of a wall,the connectors can be engaged with the geogrid and will remain in properengagement when the connectors are laid in the grooves of the blocks.

Both the apertured, relatively rigid geogrid of FIGS. 12B and 13C andthe more flexible geofabric of FIGS. 9C, 10C, and 11 are installed in aretaining wall in a manner similar to that disclosed in Forsberg, U.S.Pat. No. Re. 34,134. The geosynthetic material extends into the fillbehind the wall, as illustrated in FIG. 14. The geosynthetic materialhelps anchor the wall. FIG. 14 illustrates a portion of a retaining wallwith relatively rigid geogrid 92 held in place by connectors 200positioned in the grooves of the blocks. The blocks are interconnectedin the wall by means of pins 50 that fit in pin holes 16 and 17 in theblocks of a first course that engage pin receiving cavities 18 and 19 inblocks of a second (upper) course. The advantage to connector 200 isthat it is configured to remain in an apertured, relatively rigid,geogrid during placement of the geogrid/connector combination into thegrooves of the wall blocks, thus facilitating its placement.

Although particular embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail,this has been done for purposes of illustration only, and is notintended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appendedclaims, which follow. In particular, it is contemplated by the inventorthat various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be madeto the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the claims. For instance, the choice ofmaterials or variations in the shape or angles at which some of thesurfaces intersect are believed to be a matter of routine for a personof ordinary skill in the art with knowledge of the embodiments disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retaining wall comprising: a plurality ofblocks including at least one lower course and at least one uppercourse, at least one block having a top surface defining a groove, thegroove being substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane ofsymmetry; an apertured geogrid; and a connector including a base portionsized to be accommodated within the groove of at least one block suchthat a bottom surface of the base portion is supported by a bottomsurface of the groove and a plurality of spaced-apart projectionsextending upwardly from the base portion when the base portion isaccommodated in the groove, each projection including a top portion anda spacing portion intermediate the base portion and the top portion,each spacing portion having a first width, each top portion having asecond width, the second width being greater than the first width, theprojections being spaced and sized to be accommodated within aperturesof the geogrid such that the geogrid is retained between the top portionand the at least one block in the retaining wall when the connector isengaged in the apertured geogrid.
 2. The retaining wall of claim 1wherein the apertured geogrid comprises high density polyethylene. 3.The retaining wall of claim 1 wherein the connector comprises fourspaced-apart projections extending from the base portion.
 4. A retainingwall comprising: a plurality of blocks including at least one lowercourse and at least one upper course, each block of the plurality ofblocks having opposing front and rear faces, at least a portion of thefront face being substantially parallel to the rear face, the at leastone block having a top surface defining a groove, the groove beingsubstantially parallel to the rear face; an apertured geogrid; and aconnector including a base portion sized to be accommodated within thegroove of at least one block such that a bottom surface of the baseportion is supported by a bottom surface of the groove and a pluralityof spaced-apart projections extending upwardly from the base portionwhen the base portion is accommodated in the groove, each projectionincluding a top portion and a spacing portion intermediate the baseportion and the top portion, each spacing portion having a first width,each top portion having a second width, the second width being greaterthan the first width, the projections being spaced and sized to beaccommodated within apertures of the geogrid such that the geogrid isretained between the top portion and the at least one block in theretaining wall when the connector is engaged in the apertured geogrid.5. The retaining wall of claim 4 wherein the apertured geogrid compriseshigh density polyethylene.
 6. The retaining wall of claim 4 wherein theconnector comprises four spaced-apart projections extending from thebase portion.